Welcome! Scroll down to view photos from the files of Martha Tate, co-executive producer of HGTV's A Gardener's Diary and longtime Home & Garden columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The photos are accompanied by Martha's timeless take on garden writing. Use Martha's photos as wallpaper - see instructions on the sidebar.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Diana's amazing garden

It's a small front yard, really, but what Diana Mendes manages to pack into the space is nothing short of miraculous.

I first went there in October, two years ago, after seeing some pictures she posted on Facebook. It was hard to imagine that so many colorful fall flowers - asters, chrysanthemums, Mexican sage and roses in their autumn flush of bloom - could be packed into the wide border that surrounds a lovely bit of lawn.

So, Diana promised to contact me the next spring so I could see an entirely different garden. And, I did. Her May garden looks like a mini-Giverny. I was in her neighborhood yesterday and took this photograph around noon in the bright sun. Diana had particularly mentioned a red rose that was in full bloom, but she said things would look better by the weekend, with more roses open.

That may be true, but I was once again bowled over by the May flowers blooming in such profusion. The red rose, which I will show later, was indeed spectacular, but so was the entire scene. And, there were other roses in bloom - all healthy and vigorous.

There was no way to capture everything at once, but I took particular note of some big, round low-growing alliums that I hadn't noticed before. I wasn't sure if they were A. christophii, so I'll ask Diana.

So, here's a partial list of what I saw: Hesperis in both lavender and white, bearded iris, big, double English looking roses, lower growing single and semi-double roses, foxgloves, Amsonia hubrichtii, larkspur, poppies, coreopsis, yarrow, clematis, Siberian iris, Verbena bonariensis and copper fennel (that's the dark, lacy plant on the right hand side of the photograph).

I plan to visit again this weekend, although I can't imagine how it could get better. Earlier yesterday, Diana, who drives rescue dogs and cats to foster homes or to other drivers, was taking a dog to be neutered. I arrived at her garden when she was on another errand, so I missed having her commentary. There's so much packed into this garden, that it's easy to miss some truly wonderful plants. I definitely need to go back.

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About Me

Biography...Grew up in the South. Graduated from Vanderbilt University. Wrote a column in the Atlanta Journal & Constitution for 21 years. One of the creators and executive producers of A Gardener's Diary for Home & Garden Television.
I live in Atlanta and have two daughters.